JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — Ahead of an expected vote on Right-to-Work sometime this week, Lt. Gov. Peter Kinder and Rep. Michael Frame, D-High Ridge, both visited Westminster College in Fulton a few days apart to make their respective pitches on the issue.
Kinder, an outspoken supporter of RTW, told students in attendance that states adopting Right-to-Work were more attractive to businesses and that exclusive union contracts were keeping Missourians from finding good work.
Frame, a longtime union member and Democrat, said it was “a fact” that RTW lowered wages and household income.
“Of the 10 states with the lowest minimum wages, 8 are Right-to-Work states,” Frame said. “Right-to-Work lowers wages in every state that we see it in and that’s not my opinion. That is a fact. That is a fact that several Republicans have admitted.”
Kinder, alongside many of his Republican allies, note that employment in RTW states is general higher than non-RTW states, largely citing a decrease in overall income as a natural byproduct of higher employment. Kinder’s primary contention is that businesses focus primarily on RTW states when re-locating within the United States.
“I have some facts to lay on the table for this discussion,” Kinder said. “Missouri one of only 2 states in America to have a falling median household income last year…Young people are leaving this state for the South and the West looking for opportunity.”
In Missouri, Right-to-Work has been one of the most controversial issues in recent years. Gov. Jay Nixon has repeatedly said he will veto any RTW measure. Republicans have countered by offering bills attempting to place the law on the ballot for the 2014 election cycle.
24 states have adopted RTW laws, including several of Missouri’s neighbors including Oklahoma and Kansas. The last time Missouri voters had to address RTW was in 1978, when national attention turned to Missouri’s bloody fight over a similar ballot initiative on RTW. Unions ultimately prevailed and defeated the measure handily. But as union membership has steadily declined and RTW laws have caught fire in recent years, proponents believe Missouri could be ripe for the picking in 2014.
Collin Reischman was the Managing Editor for The Missouri Times, and a graduate of Webster University with a Bachelor of Arts in Journalism.
